Nick Saban to speak at Team Focus fundraiser in Mobile on April 8 (photos, video)

MOBILE, Alabama -- For the seventh straight year, Alabama football coach Nick Saban will speak at the annual fundraiser for Team Focus, coming to Mobile on April 8 for the event at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.

"A Night with Nick Saban" is the sole fundraiser for the non-profit Team Focus organization, which was founded in 2000 in Mobile by Mike Gottfried and his wife, Mickey, to help boys 10 through 18 years old who lack father figures in their lives.

"This is the only obligation that I have gladly accepted for six years in a row," Saban said at last year's event, "because of what Mike and Mickey do for young people. Every year, I just can't say enough to thank them for what they do."

Nick Saban Talks About Benefits of Team FocusIn Mobile on Tuesday evening, April 16, 2013, Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban speaks positively about Team Focus, a charity started by former Pittsburgh coach and ESPN college football analyst Mike Gottfried and his wife Mickey in 2000 to provide positive male role models for fatherless boys.

"A Night with Nick Saban" will start with a silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed by a live auction at 6:15. The auctions will include national championship game tickets, SEC championship game tickets, Sugar Bowl tickets and autographed sports memorabilia.

Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.

Individual tickets cost $75. A table for 10 costs $750. Sponsorships are available starting at $5,000. To purchase tickets or learn more about sponsorship opportunities, call the Team Focus office at 251-635-1515 or visit the organization's web site.

"We are so thankful for coach Saban's continued support of Team Focus and the lives of the young men the organization represents," Mike Gottfried said. "It is an honor to introduce him each year at this event."

Team Focus' mission "is to provide a year-round program of support, encouragement and Godly values that foster the development of life skills in young men without a father figure in their lives, bridge the father gap and support the family structure." It uses role models and positive influences in mentoring, tutoring and other interactive ways to reach the youngsters. Team Focus has 10 chapters and has worked with more than 3,000 boys since its founding.